Easy Keg 5L

[pms67]

I've got the party star tap and tonight poured my first pint of Cooper's Stout.
Apart from being one of the best kits I've done so far the pour from the tap was fantastic. It looked like a pub poured pint of Stout with a creamy light brown head which stayed to the bottom of the glass.
I had to pour another couple just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.
More mini kegs for me.

Yes,its as close to a pint from the pub that you will get,so smooth and my Cooper's English Bitter with a freakish hop combo is tasting superb if i say so myself, more minikegs for me too i think, enjoy

 

[Hops_and_Dreams]

Just enjoying my second batch of mini kegged beer. It's definitely better than bottles, so much smoother and tastes like a proper pint. Tried my keg cooling jacket tonight too, although it did the trick and cooled down the beer quickly, the keg wasn't that warm to start with and the jacket still defrosted inside an hour so I think I'll have to have a rethink in the summer. I bought two to keep swapping over but it won't refreeze in time and also it's quite tight, so hard to remove without disturbing the keg.

Current thinking is a large plant pot and a bag of ice and cool box blocks!

 

[pms67]

Looking at your drinking list mate,you do like an IPA!!!
Saying that, so do i,once you aqquire a taste for a hoppy beer,all else seems a bit bland

 

[Hops_and_Dreams]

Looking at your drinking list mate,you do like an IPA!!!
Saying that, so do i,once you aqquire a taste for a hoppy beer,all else seems a bit bland

I do love hoppy beers and you can make so many varied beer styles, it's great. Shame I have the alcohol tolerance of a 12 year old girl though, think tonight's one was about 6% and had to stop at two to avoid feeling the effects tomorrow!

 

[Saltrock]

I do love hoppy beers and you can make so many varied beer styles, it's great. Shame I have the alcohol tolerance of a 12 year old girl though, think tonight's one was about 6% and had to stop at two to avoid feeling the effects tomorrow!

I know the feeling! I have had to start to brew weekday wine and beer that is lower strength!

Also going to move to mini kegs, looking at the dispensers that chill the kegs too on eBay, got to be easier than chill jackets

 

[Dutto]

WOW! My old brain is about fried trying to sort this lot out! (Now on Page 51!)

I would like to go the Mini-Keg route with three kegs as a starting point but I lost track of the different keg styles, different bungs, different taps etc etc. Sorry.

At the moment I possess nothing with regard to mini-kegs so could someone please simplify the process for an old man and in one Post tell me which:

o Mini-keg I should buy full of beer.

o Bung I should buy for that particular mini-keg.

o Tap and CO2 injection system I should get so that I can serve the beer from the keg.

Or should I just lay out the money and buy a kit? If so, which kit?

Thanking someone in anticipation (hopefully)! :thumb: :thumb:

 

[MyQul]

WOW! My old brain is about fried trying to sort this lot out! (Now on Page 51!)

I would like to go the Mini-Keg route with three kegs as a starting point but I lost track of the different keg styles, different bungs, different taps etc etc. Sorry.

At the moment I possess nothing with regard to mini-kegs so could someone please simplify the process for an old man and in one Post tell me which:

o Mini-keg I should buy full of beer.

o Bung I should buy for that particular mini-keg.

o Tap and CO2 injection system I should get so that I can serve the beer from the keg.

Or should I just lay out the money and buy a kit? If so, which kit?

Thanking someone in anticipation (hopefully)! :thumb: :thumb:

If you know you want to got the mini keg route it probably best just to buy a MK system like this

http://www.leyland-home-brew.co.uk/mini-keg-system-with-co2-tap-717-p.asp

 

[MickDundee]

I've read this thread with interest but have no room in my fridge for a keg and no room in my freezer for the sleeve (I'm panicking about having room for hops when I start all grain in the next couple of weeks). It would certainly reduce the time spent on bottling day (although I'll probably still do bottles too)

I saw a post about the Klarstein dispenser a few pages back and it interests me (the instructions are on the online store listing and it does use cartridges - just clear up the confusion) but the fact it says the beer only keeps for a week puts me off. If anyone speaks German there are some reviews on German Amazon for that one and a few others that might be of interest. I'll investigate (possibly with the help of my dad's best mate who used to teach German)and see what there is around. You can buy from Amazon.de using your British log in.

 

[MyQul]

I've read this thread with interest but have no room in my fridge for a keg and no room in my freezer for the sleeve (I'm panicking about having room for hops when I start all grain in the next couple of weeks). It would certainly reduce the time spent on bottling day (although I'll probably still do bottles too)

I saw a post about the Klarstein dispenser a few pages back and it interests me (the instructions are on the online store listing and it does use cartridges - just clear up the confusion) but the fact it says the beer only keeps for a week puts me off. If anyone speaks German there are some reviews on German Amazon for that one and a few others that might be of interest. I'll investigate (possibly with the help of my dad's best mate who used to teach German)and see what there is around. You can buy from Amazon.de using your British log in.

I quite often don't bother chilling my beer and just put plastic ice cubes in my pint to cool it. Works really well.

I saw some lovely expensive stone cubes designed for whisky in John Lewis the other day

 

[Leon103]

Use google translate

 

[MickDundee]

I quite often don't bother chilling my beer and just put plastic ice cubes in my pint to cool it. Works really well.

I saw some lovely expensive stone cubes designed for whisky in John Lewis the other day

I have a set of whisky stones. Could be an idea!

 

[MickDundee]

Use google translate

I will, but not of my research so far came on the train on my way home from work.

 

[GlentoranMark]

I know MyQul recommends you buy a kit but I still don't own a tap (I will do eventually)

As I can't source kegs in NI, I went for 2 of these with free delivery. I drank the beer and re-used the keg. You can buy them empty for roughly £6 but I thought it was a good price for some beer as well.

P&P is expensive for me so this was my cheapest option.

Now the bungs at the top are no good so you have to buy replacement bungs (the thing at the top of the keg), but these are only 77p (or cheaper) each.

That's all you need basically to get you started and your cheapest route, you can always do as I'm doing and buy the tap later.

BTW I have a full keg corny system but prefer these for the handiness.

WOW! My old brain is about fried trying to sort this lot out! (Now on Page 51!)

I would like to go the Mini-Keg route with three kegs as a starting point but I lost track of the different keg styles, different bungs, different taps etc etc. Sorry.

At the moment I possess nothing with regard to mini-kegs so could someone please simplify the process for an old man and in one Post tell me which:

o Mini-keg I should buy full of beer.

o Bung I should buy for that particular mini-keg.

o Tap and CO2 injection system I should get so that I can serve the beer from the keg.

Or should I just lay out the money and buy a kit? If so, which kit?

Thanking someone in anticipation (hopefully)! :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Dutto]

Many thanks for the replies and just to clear up a few points:

1. "The beer in a mini-keg only lasts a week." Hmmmm!!! This had me worried until I seriously thought about my consumption and realised that I would have to start "dry days" to make five litres of any decent tasting home-brew last for more than three days! :whistle:

2. Thanks for the Hobgoblin reference but I was hoping to buy mini-kegs in France where the majority of the mini-kegs seem to come equipped like this ...

http://www.carrefour.fr/search/site/bier 5L/7

I don't know whether the tap is a part of the mini-keg or a reusable bit that you buy as a separate item If it comes as a separate item then I will probably go the "buy fill and re-use" route with at least three kegs.

3. Unless 2. above is sorted I will definitely buy a kit when I get back home. I'm hoping that with three kegs and all the gizmos included I will avoid finishing up with a load of unusable gear kicking around the garage.

Thanks for the input everyone! :thumb: :thumb:

:
Ian

 

[Leon103]

Would you say beer in a keg conditions quicker? Tempted to open my Belgian blonde tonight after 4 weeks in the keg. Recipe said condition for 6. I have friends over for the rugby so this would be a nice touch

 

[MyQul]

Would you say beer in a keg conditions quicker? Tempted to open my Belgian blonde tonight after 4 weeks in the keg. Recipe said condition for 6. I have friends over for the rugby so this would be a nice touch

I would suggerst this is more to do with OG and malts (dark beers needing more conditioning than lighter ones). I cracked into a MK of honey porter yesterday which is only 2 weeks into conditioning. It definately needs more conditioning

 

[Leon103]

I will leave it. Already had a bottle of it two weeks ago and it needed more time. It's a blonde ale but high abv. I have plenty of other stuff here anyhow

 

[pms67]

I must say,once again,a cracking thread

 

[Spapro]

I will leave it. Already had a bottle of it two weeks ago and it needed more time. It's a blonde ale but high abv. I have plenty of other stuff here anyhow

Can you try another bottle - if the bottles are ready to drink then the keg will be too, or at least that would be my approach.

It may have moved ona lot in the 2 weeks since you last tried it.

 

[Leon103]

I tried a bottle last night and it was lovely but like all strong beers can do with a little longer